Nick Winnington Writes...

December 1995

I am now the Chairman of the Cambridge and District Branch of CAMRA. The
issues facing the campaign are important to me.
For the very small investment of
£1 per month
you too can become involved, or even just lend your name to
one of the most successful consumer organisations in history.

Does it have a cask breather to falsely prolong its active life by applying gas?
Is your favourite mellow southern-brewed ale served through a northern style
swan-neck with a tight sparkler?
This radically alters the beer's character in the name of presentation,
and is frequently unhygenic.
[See Wring the Swan's Neck for full details of
this flavour buster.]

Has your local had fake handpumps foisted upon it in an attempt to persuade
you the cider is real? Is your country local threatened with closure, or has it
been tarted up out of all recognition,
leaving you feeling unwelcome or, at
best, out of place?
Have you been taken in by the tacky promotional offers
surrounding the cold bland nitrokegs such as Caffreys and Kilkenny?

These are the issues CAMRA takes on board. We need fresh blood to help us
continue to be a fighting force. Come along to a meeting - see the
Branch diary.
Locally we are currently concerned that there are too
many beer exhibition pubs trying to sell too many different real ales.
Something has to suffer: invariably this is quality.

For an informal chat about things, over an exemplary pint, call into
The Cambridge Blue in Gwydir St, the Branch's 1995 Pub of the Year.